The Zelda Keyboard: Angry Miao AFA R2 Review

23.10.2023 - 19:23 / mmorpg.com / Zelda

The Angry Miao AFA is back! We originally reviewed this keyboard back in 2022 but it’s making its return journey with brand new pop-culture inspired designs, a refined build, and a faster disassembly process. Complete with adjustable leaf springs, switches, keycaps, and a design that borders on artwork, this is a custom keyboard you won’t want to miss. 

Current Price: $680 — Base Kit, $795 Bundle ( Angry Miao ) 

With the Angry Miao AFA, the “AFA” stands for adjustable flex alice. It’s shorthand for a very descriptive name. It utilizes an Alice-style layout, which is ergonomically split and  angled to cater to more natural hand positioning. This lends it a very unique look that caters to the creativity of the designers at Angry Miao. 

The adjustable flex portion of the name comes from its unique leaf spring mounting system. Rather than use foam or silicone gaskets like most keyboards, the AFA is mounted on bent metal leaves tipped with silicone plugs. Both halves of the keyboard are set onto these plug with set mounting points, allowing the PCB assembly for each side to hover inside the case. When you type, these depress and provide ample, soft flex. The plate is also made of soft POM plastic and is one of the most flex cut I’ve ever seen. This is a keyboard that moves and responds to your every touch.

The adjustability of these springs comes with their material and how they mount into the case. Angry Miao includes both copper and stainless steel springs for a harder or softer typing feel (copper for softness, steel for firmness). These can also be screwed in at three different points the company calls “gears” that allow for more or less movement. Beneath these springs are thick and thin foam adjustment pads to provide more or less cushion. When it comes to dialing in the amount of bounce, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Before you type a single keystroke, you’re going to notice how unique the design of this keyboard is. It’s split into two sides and inset into a skeletal aluminum frame that looks a bit like a spaceship. Or, since this is a Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom- inspired keyboard, perhaps a glider is a more apt comparison (seriously, that’s not an exaggeration).  It’s CNC milled from a single four-and-a-half-pound block of solid aluminum and then hand-polished for a full hour. 

The actual key set is split between two halves with separate circuit boards, joined in the center by a control unit. This enhances the spaceship-like look. It also doubles as an indicator light cluster to show battery status and whether any of your locks are enabled. It utilizes a 65% layout, which lacks a function row, but includes arrow keys and a handful of navigation and editing buttons. Unlike most keyboards